Pullen hopes to star again on NCAA stage

Tuesday

Mar 15, 2011 at 5:47 PM

Austin Meek

TUCSON, Ariz. – The NCAA Tournament is a stage for one-name stars.

Kemba. Jimmer. Jacob?

If the basketball collective doesn't yet know Jacob Pullen on a first-name basis, it's not because he hasn't earned the star treatment. Pullen was a breakout performer in last year's NCAA Tournament, and the spotlight will be trained on him when fifth-seeded Kansas State returns to the dance floor Thursday against No. 12 seed Utah State.

"It's the biggest stage in NCAA basketball," said Pullen, K-State's senior point guard.

There is no foolproof formula for NCAA Tournament success, but it helps to have a player capable of putting the team on his shoulders. Among the top seeds in this year's field, most have a clearly defined star: Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette, Connecticut's Kemba Walker, Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, Duke's Nolan Smith and Kansas' Marcus Morris, to name a few.

These are the players who, if all else fails, can singlehandedly sustain an NCAA run.

"The NCAA Tournament becomes more of a halfcourt game than a fullcourt game," K-State coach Frank Martin said. "You've got to have guys that can score at the end of shot clocks, guys that can make hard shots, guys that can get to the foul line. That helps you alleviate having empty possessions. Jacob gives you that opportunity."

Still, the tournament's top seeds also are separated by their supporting casts. Duke has Kyle Singler, Ohio State has Jon Diebler and Kansas has Markieff Morris, players who can share the burden if their stars are somehow neutralized.

"You've got to have depth going into the NCAA Tournament," Pullen said.

This is the bigger unknown for the Wildcats, who have displayed varying degrees of reliance on their senior point guard.

Pullen was the catalyst for K-State's late-season surge, but his exploits were balanced by contributions from Curtis Kelly, Rodney McGruder, Will Spradling, Jamar Samuels and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts.

So in Pullen mind's, calling him the key to K-State's tournament success is a bit too simplistic.

"That's possible," he said, "but when we have guys stepping up like Rodney, Will, Jamar, Curt playing well, Jordan coming off the bench, then it's possible for us to make a deep run with me having good, solid games and everyone else having solid games. Anything extra will help us out."

Clearly, though, there will be times when the Wildcats will have to rely on their senior star. K-State leaned on Pullen throughout last year's NCAA run, and he delivered a string of memorable performances: 26 points against North Texas, 34 against Brigham Young and 28 in a double-overtime win against Xavier.

That postseason run cemented Pullen's reputation as a playmaker, but it also made him a marked man going into this year's tournament.

"That's the great part about the competitive nature of basketball," Pullen said. "Once people feel you're better or you have the spotlight, there's always somebody coming to try and take it or working harder to try and become better than you."

If the question comes down to stars vs. supporting casts, the Wildcats hope to prove they have both.

"This is our time," Kelly said. "Whatever it takes to win. Whether it's Jake's time, my time, I don't care as long as we win."

Austin Meek can be reached at austin.meek@cjonline.com.

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